A World Gone Dark
by MikosWish
Summary: Darkfic Kagome world has come crashing down. Her soul tainted and corrupted by the actions of the ones she loved. Is there anyone out there that can save her from herself. Is there anyone that can reach the heart she sealed away into the vast darkness tha
1. Insanity

**Hey it's me again. I finally got the first chapter for my second story done. I'm so happy I got it done.**

**Disclaimer I don't own Inuyasha but if I did I would make some drastic changes to it.**

_These bloody thoughts, from what are they born?_

_By Piave, from Verdi's Macbeth_

"_A World Gone Dark"_

_Chapter1: Insanity_

The wind whipped around wildly; rain beat down upon a young woman whose head was bent. Black raven hair hung over her eyes as tears flowed down cheeks as pale as the mist surrounding her. Though no wounds were visible to the eye her heart bled with an internal wound deeper than any sword or arrow could go. A once pure aura that shined with joy and love was now as dark and black as the night sky without stars.

"You will pay for what you've done. I will make you all pay," her voice was nothing more than a harsh whisper in the night. The storm raged on but she no longer could see the world around her. Could no longer feel the rain beat down upon her face.

"Yes kill them all. They took everything from you, it's their fault. It was always there fault," a voice that she did not recognize echoed in her own head. "Show them no mercy; make them bleed as your heart bleeds. Make them cry in agony as you did when they took it all away."

A smile spread across her face, "Yes I will make them pay, and they will pay dearly for what they've done. Vengeance will be mine." The young woman looked up into the sky, eyes wide with joy as laughter poured out of her lips. Her laughter rose into the wind, and flew through the open field of the grassland.

"They condemned themselves to this fate. They should have known better," the voice echoed in her mind. But the voice changed, it was now that of a young boy's voice. Her clothes that once looked like a school uniform was now soaked sticking to her wet body. It was once a green and white outfit but was now covered in layers of thick mud.

* * *

A fire crackled with life as the storm raged on outside the cave. The wind howled as if trying to reach them within the cave. Reaching to punish them for what they had been forced to do. Their hearts in ached with the thought of it. Dust floated unsettled around in the air from the pacing of a young man. His eyes held worry in their golden depths. Finally he stopped pacing and spoke. His voice, almost too soft to be heard, reached the ears of the other two companions who were at the moment sitting by the fire, "I'm going to go look for her."

The others just nodded, not speaking. He nodded slightly at them solemnly with traces of unshed tears in his eyes. They watched him disappear into the storm that seemed to attempt to destroy him without mercy. The young woman dressed in the customary Taijya outfit looked deep into the fire. Guilt pulsed trough her. Her black hair hung down across her back moving from side to side as she shook her head slowly. "Miroku? Do you think we made a mistake…? Do you think…?" Her voice laced with pain left the rest unanswered as she stared into the fire.

Miroku sighed, unsure himself of the answer. He was a Hiroshi, a man of Buddha. But yet Kami seems to have abandoned them just as. He let a soft sigh escape his lips as he told her the only answer he had, "I don't know Sango. I just don't know anymore." Miroku's grip tightened on his cursed hand as his gaze drifted to stare back into the storm.

* * *

"So this is what has become of the child who once seemed so pure," a silky voice full of evil whispered.

The young man came running in, seeing the young woman he was searching for, "KAGOME!" His breath seemed to have left him as he saw her, his voice coming out this time as a whisper, "Kagome what's happened to you?"

Laughter filled the air as the evil voice spoke again but louder for all to hear, "Do you not see Inuyasha? She has abandoned the light; she has become one with the darkness."

Inuyasha spun in the direction of the voice, rage building, "NARAKU! What did you do to Kagome?"

Naraku stepped behind Kagome, "Tut tut tut Inuyasha, it was not I that brought her into the darkness."

Inuyasha glared, "What the hell do you mean "his voice was soft and quiet.

The smile spread farther across Naraku's face. "You are the one to have tainted her pure hear with darkness!"

Shock spread across his face. His hear fell deep within his chest. "What! What the fuck do you mean my fault! That's impossible, how could I have…." Dread slowly past over his hear like a shadow, "Kagome I… Kagome we had no other choice. We had to, if we didn't…." But his words were cut short and a shiver ran down his spine as Kagome slowly turned to him.

Her eyes held such darkness as a sneer spread across her face, a voice that seemed so unlike Kagome flowed out of her mouth as all sanity seemed to have left her, "No Inuyasha. That is where you are wrong. You killed him. And I…. I will make you pay. I will make you all pay. I will make your soul cry to the heavens just as his did. I will make you feel the agony in my heart. I will bring this world into darkness just as you have brought my world to." With that Kagome spun around plunging her hand into Naraku's chest with a force she never had. While her other hand took the half of the Shikon No Tama he carried, "I will take these. For with these I will use its power to bring the world to the darkness.

Inuyasha stared in shock as Kagome took the jewel shards and then ripped Naraku's heart from his chest. As Naraku died, laughter flowed out of him as fast as his blood was. His final words he gave to Inuyasha, "Inuyasha I may die now but you will die a worse death than I. You have committed the greatest sin. You have tainted the purest of pure. You tainted the one person even I could not." With that blood sprayed from his mouth and he died. His corpse crumpling down at Kagome's feet.

As all this transpired the storm blew on as if praising her for what she did and was going to begin doing. The half of the jewel Kagome carried and what she had just taken from Naraku began to glow and form together to make one hole. But instead of becoming pure as it usually did, it became as black as her heart. Inuyasha could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he watched the scene unfold before his eyes. Slowly he began to back away from her. No longer knowing the person he once called Kagome. His blood turned cold when she looked at him. She looked at him with eyes as black as coal. There in those eyes he saw his own death. Naraku's dead body was left forgotten, the laughter forever froze on his lifeless face.

* * *

Miroku's breath caught in his throat. He felt that something strange was happening. Sango looked up at his shocked pale face, "Miroku what's wrong?" Miroku quickly remove the prayer beads that held back his wind tunnel on his hand to reveal just that a hand. Sango stared down at his hand in shock. She had expected the wind tunnel, but it never came. Miroku flexed his hand and then began to rub where the hole once was. He no longer could feel the tingling sensation in his hand that always reminded him not to forget about his curse. Sango went pale, "Miroku if your wind tunnel is gone doesn't that mean…" Letting she trail off, Sango looked into the raging storm, "What's going on out there?"

Miroku's gazed soon left his hand and followed Sango's. "I don't know…. But whatever it is I'm not sure if this is a good sign or not."

Sango looked over at Miroku with a puzzled expression, "What's wrong Miroku?" A smile slowly spread across her face, "You're free from the curse Miroku. Naraku's dead… My brother, he's finally free!" Sango started laughing with joy. Rising to her feet Sango spun around in sudden excitement, the world spinning around her. "We're free Miroku….Free!"

Miroku shook his head mournfully, "Sango, do not be so sure it's a good thing."

Sango looked at him with puzzlement, "What do you mean Miroku?"

Sighing Miroku looked up at Sango sadly, "Thing about it… We haven't been able to kill him no matter how hard we tried. We've been trying to kill him for how many years? Miroku, if we weren't able to kill him, then who has?" Sango stared at him as his words slowly settled in her mind. Seeing that he had her full attention, Miroku continued, his voice getting graver. "And not only that Lady Sango, but Inuyasha and Kagome are out there as well. What if something has happened to them as well?" Looking out into the storm the Hiroshi's eyes held pain, "Now with this storm we would not be able to find them. We are only mere humans. We would only get lost in this storm if we were to venture out to look for them ourselves."

Sango sank to the floor, realizing he was right. A sense of foreboding past over her heart, now that she thought about it, something was off about this storm. Cold shivers past down her spine, her voice quiet, "Oh Kagome… Inuyasha where are you?"

* * *

"Kagome, please don't do this." Inuyasha stood there pleading with Kagome, but Inuyasha's plea couldn't be heard over the storm. Holding the jewel close to her heart, Kagome began to whisper into the wind. The Shikon No Tama coming to life began to pulse, Enveloping Kagome in a dark aura. Inuyasha's face went paler, "K… Kagome… How could you make a wish? You're supposed to guard it, not use it. What have you done to yourself?"

When the black aura receded from her she no longer looked the same. Kagome's hair which was once down to the middle of her back was now down to her knees with silver streaks. Her eyes bore into him with a neon green shine, no longer the dark brown. The school uniform was now gone and replacing it was black robes with dark green trimming. From the shoulder down to her sleeves on both arms where bronze shaped spirit foxes. Finally a golden chain hung from her neck with the Shikon No Tama on it. Two foxes surrounded the jewel to hold it in place. The foxes tails linked to the bottom as the tips of the snouts touched each other, the four paws (two on each side) outstretched to clasp together. A smile slowly spread across her face her voice came out soft and haunting, "I… I am no longer the Kagome you once new. The Shikon No Tama has chosen me."

Inuyasha stared at Kagome, "Kagome don't do this. I can't fight you! Please don't become like Kikyo!"

Kagome softly laughed as she stared at him, "Do not worry my Inu… I have become far more than Kikyo. I will carve this world to resemble my heart, starting with you. Now it begins… Let the world hear the sorrow echoing in my soul…" The wind began to blow harder. Then he heard it. A young boy's voice. It was a voice that's haunted his dreams since that incident from not so long ago. Inuyasha stood frozen as Kagome walked towards him. The fox cub's laughter echoed around them. The world… Inuyasha's vision grew black as a scream of agony flew into the wind.

* * *

A scream of agony broke the silence that had settled in the air making Miroku and Sango jump to their feet. "Miroku that… That sounded like Inuyasha…"

Miroku nodded. It felt like a lump had lodged in his throat. A mysterious fog began covering the land beyond the cave. Miroku began to shake slightly, the rings on his staff clinking. "We can only pray to Kami that he's ok, as well as Miss Kagome."

"Miroku we can't wait any longer… We have to see if their ok, I'm not waiting any longer!" With that Sango headed towards the opening with her giant boomerang tied to her back, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulders. "Miroku don't hold me back I'm…"

"I'm not holding you back Sango… You cannot go unprepared. They may need more help than what we can give in them battle."

Sango nodded and they gathered up some equipment, and then headed out. By now the storm had calmed down and only a light breeze blew. Soon they found that their feet took them to the meadow. Looking around the land was scorched and shredded. Paling Miroku ran over to a dead body, afraid that it was one of their friends, but froze.

"Sango!" Heart leaping, Sango rushed over to Miroku in fear for the worst. But what she found stopped her. It was Naraku's dead body, a hole right where his heart should have been. Lying by his corpse was his heart. That wasn't what drew her attention though. It was the fact that even though he seemed to have known he was dying his face was frozen in silent laughter as if he welcomed it. Her eyes soon followed Miroku's silent gaze and froze. Not too far from this scene was a handful of silver hair. Sango's breath caught in her throat as she stared at it. Standing, Miroku grabbed Sango to force her t continue on in hopes that their traveling companion was still alive.

The woods soon greeted them. A cold chill went through into their bones. Fog that they had seen through the opening of the cave was rolling far into the woods creating a sense of haunting. Hearts pounding they continued on. Something deep within the woods called them forth. No matter what they did they could not get their feet to turn them around. Suddenly they both stopped. Terror surfaced on their faces. Hanging in a tree not far in front of them was Inuyasha's head. His beautiful silky silver hair was tied to a branch. An agonized scream was plastered on his face for all of eternity. Blood dripped from the part where the head was severed.

A lone tear was trapped upon his face. They stared I shock at the horror before them. Soon the world began to spin before Sango's eyes only to stop instantly as a movement caught their attention. Warning bells rang in their heads but they could not seem to take flight in fear as darkness seemed to come to them….

* * *

**Hope you liked it. I have fixed a lot of mistakes that I missed so many years ago when I first wrote this, and hope that it is more enjoyable to read.**

**Please R and R.**

**MikosWish**


	2. Bleeding Sorrows

**Sorry it took so long to update. But I got another story going plus I have been really busy with school. Hope you all enjoy this chapter**.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha though I believe there should be drastic changes to the story line.**

"_Lost in a Dream. I seek the shadows of one who has swirled away… Abandoning friends, abandoning humanity."_

"_What awaits us all is the path to emptiness. Knowing my heart. The flowers weep, and the wild birds cry."_

_By Kuroi Sabato_

_A World Gone Dark_

_Chapter 2: Bleeding Sorrow_

Their hearts beat painfully against their chest, their breathing slowed to almost the point where they would start gasping. Out of reflex both got into a fighting stance to prepare for battle. Mist began to surround them as a voice whispering in a language long forgotten by man or demon whispered into the air with a ghostly sound. The bushes before them parted as if the mist itself was curling them up in wisps to make a path.

Again something seemed to draw them forward into the dark path set before them. Muscles tense, faces pale, they trudged on as branches reached out to them, trying to drag them into the dark misted forest. Whispers could be heard echoing through the woods. Miroku strained his ears to hear, but all he could tell was that it was a young boy's voice. A voice that seemed so familiar, but he couldn't place the voice with a face. He was about to question Sango when a choked scream escaped her. His eyes drifted up, and what met his eyes would forever haunt his soul, even after death.

Standing before them in a small circular clearing in the woods was Kagome. Surrounding her feet, seeping into the earth forever staining it was the rest of Inuyasha's body. It had been shredded and torn. No one would be able to tell whose remains these pieces once belonged to. Kagome's head was bent down, letting her hair hang in her face, covering her eyes. Sango took a hesitant step near Kagome but was stopped by Miroku's trembling hand. They both almost couldn't recognize her. "K... Kagome, what happened… What happened to you? Who did this?"

The edge of Kagome's lips twitched, then slowly began to form a smile as a chuckle escaped her. "You want to know who did this Sango," as her breath caught in her throat, Sango merely nodded as she chuckled again. Sango noticed in Kagome's left hand was the prayer beads that once hung around Inuyasha's neck covered in blood, as well as his sword Tetsusaiga. "I'll tell you who did this… It was me. I did it," Kagome began to laugh, her face filled with joy as she looked up to the heavens. Fear spread through Sango and Miroku as they began to back away.

Miroku looked at Kagome with the deepest of sorrows, knowing that this was the result of their foolishness. "Kagome, what has happened to you? Where is the Kagome that we know," his voice was as soft as the feathers on a dove.

Kagome's smile faded, her face darkening as the Shikon Jewel pulsed with the steady rhythm of her heart. Her voice came out angry like a raging beast, "The Shikon Jewel transformed me into a sage. It ached with the pain of my heart, bleeding with the crimson blood of the innocent. The Kagome you once knew is now dead. A new era will be born. I will change the course of time." Kagome's eyes began to glow like fog in the darkest of night. "Demons will exist in a future they where once were forgotten. I will forsake the future and live forever in the past…" The trees in the forest groaned as they moved, her new powers began to manipulate the forest around them.

"The Shikon Jewel blessed me with fox magic, as well as chi manipulation. With this you will all pay for your treachery!" Again that child like laughter echoed through the woods, ringing through their ears like a broken record.

Ignoring the laughter, Miroku looked at her with confusion as well as fear, "Kagome, a sage does not have that kind of magic. There is no sage existing that has the power of a demon. Both those techniques can only be used by a demon."

A smile once again formed on her lips as the childe like laughter grew louder, "Do you honestly think the Shikon Jewel would transform me into something so common? I'm a sage born from the Shikon No Tama," laughter escaped her as she continued on, "A sage as well as a Miko, I can now avenge Shippo… My poor Shippo. Oh the cruel things these fools have done to you. I will make them pay. Oh how I will make them pay." Kagome opened her arms out as if to give a hug, and in doing so a wave of energy blasted out in silver and gold wisps.

Sango and Miroku tried as hard as they could to block the attack. Unfortunately, the Harikoutsu and the Monks Staff could not hold. The attack swept them off their feet, hurtling them into a tree as the energy whipped at them like a thousand needles. Coughing, Miroku stood, blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. He quickly wiped it away preparing for another attack, but was shocked to find that Kagome was gone. Taking the opportunity, Miroku rushed over to Sango's side, blood slid down her head from a gash above her eyebrow. Her Harikoutsu lay at her side still clutched in her hand.

Miroku gently shook her, his voice coming out in slight gasps as he tried to get his breathing under control, "S... Sango can you hear me? Please be ok." A choking sound came from Sango as her lungs tried to draw in air. Then as if the prayer was answered, a strange sigh came from her as air filled her lungs causing her to cough at the sudden intake. Sango jumped suddenly and almost fell back down if not for Miroku, "Don't worry Lady Sango, it appears that we are alone."

Sango relaxed only slightly with teary eyes bearing into Miroku, "We need to get back to Kaede's Village. We need to find a way to stop Kagome; she might have gone after them as well!" Miroku's face paled as he nodded.

Knowing he had not even thought about that, "We must hurry; Kirara should still be there so maybe she can hold her back for a while." Miroku quickly searched the area for his staff. It was lodged deep within a tree and it took both Sango and Miroku to get it out. They began to head in the direction of the village there bodies only able to move so fast. Often they fell and had to pick each other up. The sky darkened once again; there breaths became deep ragged breaths.

Looking up at the moon Sango Shivered at the sight of it. The moon which was once a full blue the night after Inuyasha's death was now, a full purple moon with what looked like a silver mist surrounding it like a ribbon. Sango force herself to look away as they raced on through the night. "Miroku it's going to take us two days to get back at this rate. Everyone may need us."

A sigh escaped the Houshi as they ran on, "I believe Sango that this… This is our punishment for our dark deeds. Unfortunately it seems many will be punished for our mistake." Miroku's face held deep sorrow as he looked up into the sky, his eyes distant and lost in a dark whirl pool of thoughts.

* * *

Muscles aching, Sango and Miroku ran as fast as they could. One more hill and they would be at Kaede's Village. Fear overwhelmed their hearts as they looked up into the dark sky. Though it was night they could see very well the flames licking at the skies greedily, as clouds of smoke thickened and threatened to consume the heavens. Reaching the top, their bodies froze in terror. Never before had they seen such a massacre. The village was in flames, homes torn, shattered, and in pieces. But that was not what filled them with such fear that it choked them. It was the dead bodies that littered the floor in pieces.

Some heads could be seen mouths in an open scream, with chunks of their faces missing like someone had just pealed it off. Torso's that looked like they had been ripped inside out, showing all the shredded organs dripping with blood covered in flies gorging on the dead. The rib cage could be seen with hardly any skin attached to reveal the heart that had either exploded or was missing from the chest. Arms and legs had gashes all the way to the bone, also bent in odd angles. The smell of death was in the air, even those without demon senses could suffocate from it, as the fire burned the remains of the dead flesh.

Tears flowed from Sango's eyes as a river flows into the ocean. Great sobs broke free as pain ran free in her heart. Memories of her own village flashed in her mind, the pain coursing so deep within her that she did not even know when her knees hit the ground. Miroku stood frozen in place, his knuckles growing white as he clutched his staff. The staffs jingling as the metal rings tapped against each other. Slowly bending down, Miroku wrapped his arms around Sango to comfort her, as well as himself. Her body shook in Miroku's arms as she cried while Miroku force his tears back wanting to be strong for her.

"Come on Sango, we must look for survivors, they may need help. If possible we can find out exactly what happened… Maybe… Maybe Kagome had nothing to do with this." Sango looked up at Miroku with eyes full of tears; her face was read and puffy from crying. She merely nodded and stood up with Miroku's help. Though they both knew for certain that Kagome had everything to do with what happened here. Deciding that it wasn't safe to look around alone, they stuck together as they searched.

Everywhere they went the horror only got worse, footsteps slowed, then came to a complete stop once they reached the old Miko Kaede's hut. It was the only on that had not been destroyed, but a sadness surrounded its walls. Looking inside, Kaede could be could be seen lying in a peaceful sleep. Her face was relaxed; no wounds or blood marred her aged skin. Both companions stood before her, seeing no struggle had taken place. From the look off it Kaede had been killed quickly and easily.

Neither could deny the fact that this was the work of Kagome anymore. After a sad accident that had taken her families lives, leaving the old temple to Kagome, Kaede had become one of the closest people to Kagome. A snap of a bone sent them spinning around in defense, expecting a blow from behind. But no one was there. That is, until there gaze went down.

There stood Kirara, her fir drenched in blood. Sango gasped, as she rushed towards her friend, "Kirara you ok!" Kirara bolted as soon as she came within reach. The neko demon seemed to be full of fear, her body shook as bloody foot prints were left behind. They chased the neko demon to the old god tree, the very tree that Inuyasha had slept fifty years pinned too. Sango began to run over to Kirara, sliding to a stop when a hiss rushed out of the small feline. Flames engulfed Kirara like an angry typhoon, until there stood a larger far more dangerous form of the neko demon. Sango gasped as her trembling voice called out to her terrified friend, "Kirara it's me, I'm on your side!"

Fear surged through Miroku as a bad omen seemed to vibrate through him as he called out a warning, "Sango, her fear is too strong. She cannot recognize us! Be careful, she will attack to kill, get away from her!" But Sango could not hear him as thoughts rushed through her head, blocking out his warning. A fearful howl resounded through the woods, echoing through their surroundings. Kirara attacked sending Sango hurtling backwards. Miroku moved to rush to her aid but his path was soon blocked by a grinning Kagome.

"Kagome! What have you done to Kirara? Stop making her attack Sango!"

Kagome looked at Miroku with a gleeful look, "But my dear Miroku… I am not controlling her. That is not one of the powers that I have received." Miroku looked at her in shock. He couldn't believe Kirara would attack her closest friend like that… Unless... Unless she was in such a state of fear that she could no longer see the world around her. It was as if she was trapped in a nightmare.

Miroku's heart ached as he stood his ground against Kagome. "Kagome, you must stop this insanity. Think about your family beyond the well! What would they think of you now if they were to see you?"

Kagome chuckled, "Do not worry. They are dead anyways…. Even if they had still been alive they would never see me again. For I... I have destroyed the well. The past has become my present."

A scream pierced the air then fell silent just as suddenly as it had come. Miroku's head spun in Sango's direction in time to see Sango's body drop to the ground. Her head dangling in Kirara's mouth. A buzzing sound could be heard, turning into a crunch as a howl of pain bellowed out of Kirara. Sango's weapon Harikoutsu slicing through her as it had come back around. Kirara's body dropped next to Sango as she lay still, breathing no more.

Forgetting his battle with Kagome, Miroku bolted towards Sango, but was soon cut short when a sharp pain seared through Miroku's back. A strange burning sensation gave him the feeling of being on fire. Kagome watched with amusement as Miroku got engulfed by the chi she had sent after him. It had slice into his back, then began to smother him as if it was a flame. His mouth opened up as if to scream but his mouth had already filled with too much blood and a gurgling sound came in its place. His body collapsed inches away from the one he had loved. Blood flowed from his back, his mouth and his eyes.

* * *

"My Lord! My Lord, a small imp ran through the halls of a glorious castle. The staff of two heads waving around in the air, the imp swung open the doors of a room that looked to be a library. Books covered the vast walls all around the room on dark mahogany book shelves. A small giggle could be heard from a young girl. Her innocent eyes shined as she looked at the small imp. Glaring at the child for laughing at his plight, "Stop laughing, you impudent child! Tell me were Lord Sesshoumaru is."

The child got down from her seat and ran over to the imp, her long black hair flying behind her, except for what was up in a small ponytail on the top side of her head. "Lord Sesshoumaru is in the backroom again Jaken-sama. He said I was doing really a lot better at writing!"

Jaken shuttered at the child's unnatural enthusiasm. "Very nice, now get out of the way, I have to give our Lord important information."

"Jaken," a smooth deep voice drifted from behind Jaken.

Jaken spun around in surprise; in doing so he toppled over and fell to the floor. A sigh escaped pale lips as gold eyes looked down at Jaken, who quickly leapt to his feet and bowed respectably. "Lord Sesshoumaru I come with extraordinary news. Your dirty mongrel of a half brother has been slain!" Sesshoumaru stood there in silence, the news of his brother's death slowly sinking in. Jaken soon brought his attention back though. "That is not all My Lord, but it seems him and all his companions were slain by that mate of his for unknown reasons."

A smirk slowly crossed Sesshoumaru's face as he looked down at his retainer. "So my foolish half brother has been killed by a lowly human. A fitting end for such a pathetic creature. Jaken prepare to leave. We go to collect Tetsusaiga. Rin you shall wait here for my return."

Rin bowed happily, "Yes Lord Sesshoumaru. I will miss you while you're gone."

Sesshoumaru was soon flying high above the clouds on his own cloud made up of his energy, his retainer standing loyally beside him. "Jaken this had better be true. I don't want to have to find out that I wasted my time. You know what your punishment will be."

Jaken gulped, his hand tightening on the staff of two heads, "Yes My Lord. I swear to you that it is true. One of your spy's came upon your brother's corpse as well as that retched hanyou, Naraku.'

Sesshoumaru looked at Jaken out of the corner of his eyes. He could not believe that a mere human disposed of that foolish hanyou, who had eluded him for so long. If Jaken spoke the truth he was going to force the woman not only to give up Tetsusaiga, but to force her to tell him how she did it. If she did all this without trying to defy him, he may just let her live.

* * *

**Well there is the second chapter. Sorry if it's not as long as the first one. I just thought that that would be the best spot to stop at. Please review I love to hear from all of you. Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it took so long to update I will try and go faster next time. Ja ne.**

**MikosWish**


	3. Bloody Dreams, Uncertain Future

**Hi everyone, I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update. Thank you to those who are still continuing to read my stories, and those who started in hopes that I update again. It is all thanks to Niham, who is a friend from school, for getting me interested in writing again lol. I had originally stopped writing because I just got so busy then I didn't have anyone to edit my work and I am in great need of that. I told you guys I would never give up on writing, and I won't, I am just sorry for taking so long on doing this, I have a lot better ideas so hopefully it was worth the wait. And Niham your hyper ninjas, voodoo dolls, and a Spanish Lama named Edwarda, got nothing on me I will take them all on.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha but I do own the story line as well as any extra characters I might add in the future.

_By Kuroi Sabato "Chasing the wind. Chasing that soul wandering lost for years of pain_

**Chapter 3: Bloody Dreams, Uncertain Future**

Butterflies danced across the sunset covered meadow, a young fox cub darted through the flowers. His beautiful light brownish hair, tied back in a short ponytail bobbed about as he played. Kagome's smile was serene as she gazed lovingly at the young boy. She giggled as a butterfly landed delicately on his fluffy tail. The young boy started to cry suddenly after his pawed feet caught on a rock, sending him face down into the dirt. Her face creased with worry,

Kagome quickly went to him. She kneeled down on one knee, and scooped him up in her arms. A gasp escaped her when the young fox cub looked up at her.

Blood filled tears streaked his face, his lips parting, but no words came forth. When she finally did hear his voice, it came upon the wind filled with sorrow. "What have you done? Mommy, what have you done? What's done can't be undone. What's done can't be undone."

* * *

Screaming, Kagome sat up in terror, sweat trickled down her clammy skin. Trembling, she forced herself to her feet, and walked to the small trickling stream. The cold water calmed her, but did not stop her trembling lips. "Can't be undone… Can't be undone…" Looking down, the Shikon No Tama pulsed with an unnatural light, its pulsating glow warned of an approaching threat.

Stepping out of the edge of woods, the grasslands opened up before her, the mountains loomed far of in the distance. A whirl wind of dirt headed her way, causing her eyes to narrow. The dust settled directly in front of her stood the wolf demon leader, and his two most loyal followers. His black hair slightly disheveled in its ponytail. Dust clung to the light brown fur pelts that made up his clothes. "Kagome? Is that really you? And where is that Mutt? He is supposed to be protecting you! When I get my hands on him…"

"Uh Kouga," Kouga's rant was cut short as the wolf brothers nervously tapped on his shoulder. Hiding behind Kouga, they looked with terrified eyes at the seething woman, "something is wrong with sister, Kagome."

Kouga stepped back in surprise at the fierce look on Kagome's face, "Kagome?"

Kagome held out her hand, her chi swirled about her hand in dark purplish-red shapes. Sneering, she began walking closer to the three wolf demons, even as they backed away. "What makes you think that I need that weak fool, he who abandoned my most precious one?"

"He is trying to get in your way Mommy. He's just like the others, he only thinks of himself. He would have left us to die. If you let him get in the way, you won't be able to see me again." Shippo's haunting voice eased the doubts that had come from her dreams, but now the dream had faded.

Kouga sensed the situation turning dangerous, signaling to the wolf brothers to make a run for it, he stood his ground to make sure they made it out safely. "Kagome, I can't fight you. So why don't we just talk things over? You could tell me what happened, and I could help fix things."

Kagome's neon eyes flashed dangerously, "What's been done can't be undone. I have killed them all. Just as they caused the death of my most precious, and just as I will to you. There is no escape from my wrath, not for anybody." Kagome sent a wave of chi at Kouga, who barely had enough time to dodge.

He was forced to duck when Kagome's chi came back like a whip. The air crackled with power as Kagome continued her attack. Refusing to attack the young woman he had called friend, but tried to think up ways to restrain her as he dodged her attacks. But her chi, which shielded her entire body, was too much for him to find an opening. Her chi shielded her, as well as attacked him, making it difficult to do anything.

Kouga's concentration was the only thing that kept him alive. Startled screams from the wolf brothers made his head snap in their direction. Kagome's chi had wrapped around their ankles, and had begun to drag them back. A wave of Kagome's chi slammed into Kouga, sending him back in shock. "Tsk Tsk Kouga, you should pay more attention to your enemy," Kagome laughed as she said this.

Having no choice, but to fight in order to defend the wolf brothers, Kouga skidded to a stop. Leaping into the air, Kouga aimed a kick at her head, hoping to knock her out. But the chi surrounding her lashed out at him, repelling him back. Spinning in the air, Kouga landed painfully on his feet. Bringing up his arms to ward of Kagome's counter attack, he made his way toward the wolf brothers in hope that he could free them. But no matter what he did, the chi would only repel him back. To his horror, the chi began to slowly wrap around the wolf brothers in a tight embrace.

For ear for his two pack members, Kouga flung himself into attack frenzy, and in desperation to free them. But with each attempt to strike her, Kagome's chi would rise up to strike back. Soon he heard the terrified screams of pain as a grinding crack filled the air, followed by gurgles, and silence. Kouga stopped, his world stood still as he stared at Kagome in confusion, pain swelled within his heart. Disbelief filled him, but he closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were filled with cold hatred. "Kagome, I don't know what happened to you… But I cannot forgive you for what you have done."

Kagome smiled with satisfaction, "Kouga-kun, you poor pathetic fool, what makes you think I want forgiveness? But don't worry, you will join them soon."

Kouga howled in rage as he attacked, swinging his foot up with all the strength he could, Kouga repeatedly slammed is foot over and over again at her. But once again he was repelled back. Just as he was about to attack once again, he suddenly felt a strange surge of power below his feet. His eyes widened as a pool of Kagome's chi, surged below his feet, and soon shot up in large spikes that pierced through his entire body.

Kagome whispered into his ear with a gentle voice, his body struggling to draw air, "No one escapes." Kouga felt his heart beat painfully as his body felt the shock of the attack. A wave of dizziness passed through him, his world slowly fading. His lips opened and closed as if trying to reply back. But the words never came, and he breathed his last. Kagome let his body slump to the ground, she reached down to grasp an object Kouga had, and placed it into her pocket.

Turning, she headed back into the woods where she had left the rest of her things. There resting against a tree was: Miroku's staff, Sango's Harikoutsu, Kaede's bow, and Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga. Kagome began contemplating on what to do with these things. She really did not wish to carry these objects around with her. But she did wish to keep them as reminders, so she would never forget who had taken everything from her.

Exhaustion filled her suddenly, sighing she shook her head, "I shouldn't have wasted so much energy on those fools." Kagome swayed slightly, her body began to shake from the over use of energy. Raising her hands up to glare at the delicate pale fingers, "Why… Why do am I so weak right now?" In a rage, Kagome walked over to the tree and began flinging the mementos, as if everything that had gone wrong was the fault of their owners. Finally, she slumped in complete exhausting, the Tetsusaiga clutched in her grasp. Her eyes began to slowly drift closed.

She stood in that meadow once again, the sun warm upon her skin. A gentle breeze blew through her hair, as she gazed through the flowers, searching for a huge bow among them. Fear surged through her when she could not find the young fox cub that she adored. Her feet began to move as she searched, faster and faster as she searched frantically. Tears stung her eyes; her voice grew almost hoarse, as she called out his name. As the sun began to set, she saw a small figure upon a nearby hill.

Relief spread through her as she raced to him, but paused when a small breeze sent a chill through her. A smile came to her lips as she reached out to the cub, her hands froze as she he turned to her. Again he was crying tears of blood, and a deep gash had joined it. The wound bled horribly, staining his clothes. The sky turned to a blood red, and the beautiful meadow seemed to look dried up and dead, the plants withered away, the soil dried and cracked deeply. "Mommy it's becoming so dark. I can't see you anymore. You have gone so very far. Why Mommy, why are you going into the dark? I can't see you there Mommy. You're going so far away."

Kagome sat up gasping; her body was feeling so very cold, as sweat trickled down her face. Her body began to tremble. Her eyes were soon drawn to the object that bit deeply into her hand. Anger soon swept over the doubt, "Mommy he's coming. He will destroy everything." Kagome stood and headed to the nearest village. An idea slowly forming in her mind for this newcomer, "That's right Mommy, you always know just what to do to make things right." Kagome grinned wickedly; her body began to shake with laughter, "Oh how fun this will be. I should have thought of this long ago."

* * *

Sesshoumaru stared with narrowed eyes at the morbid scene of his brother's head hanging on the tree limb. Reaching down, he grasped the prayer beads that had once hung around his neck, amused at the fact that his brother would be foolish enough to get something such as this on his neck. If it wasn't for the scent of his brother's woman, no matter how much it had changed, he wouldn't have believed it had been her. But her strange scent clung to the air, and her energy still floating around the area.

Frowning, Sesshoumaru walked deeper into the woods, only giving brother's corpse a brief glance. Everything about the situation was off; his own brother was weak, that much Sesshoumaru knew. But to have been defeated by a human, even if she had used the prayer beads against him seemed impossible. Pausing to wait for Jaken's return, Sesshoumaru's eyes scanned the area as he thought. The woman may have had Miko powers, but she lacked the control. She wasted far too much energy, and there was more than once occasion where her emotions took over the power.

His nose crinkled delicately as the smell of burnt flesh and death drifted to his nose. Feeling an overwhelming sense of curiosity, Sesshoumaru followed the path he knew would lead to a village was far worse than he could imagine the one woman doing. Many buildings where either half burned, or were smoldering ashes. Bodies of all ages were scattered all about the place. Sesshoumaru paused to look down at the bodies that now lay at his feet; a small wave of pity came to him as he recognized the companions that traveled with his brother and the woman. The monk looked as if he had died quickly, but the neko demon and the Taijya had died much slower, and in far more pain. Sesshoumaru could never respect his brother, but he had come to respect the companions he traveled with.

Sesshoumaru soon left the village, following the young woman's scent. His brow creasing with puzzlement, as he tried to distinguish the different emotions that clung to that scent. From what he could tell form her scent, her emotions seemed as out of control as her power. He once again found himself walking through the woods as he thought over how she could have gained so much power. No matter how he tried, he could not bring himself into believing that it came from that stupid stone that his brother was after for so many years. Not to mention why that fool Naraku would allow the woman to kill him. But the way Naraku's body was positioned, it only clearly pointed out that he allowed himself to die.

The woman's scent suddenly flared up, causing him to stop, there were signs among a few of the trees that the young girl had slept here, and most likely threw a fit. With a few quick steps, Sesshoumaru stepped out onto the grasslands. There he found the bodies of three wolf demons. A sigh escaped him when he noticed one was the packs leader. He personally never liked Kouga, but he preferred to handle him with all the politics than those who may now take his place. He could feel that he was getting closer to where the woman was, and a warning vibe told him she would be waiting.

Another village soon came into the distance, there was no scent of death, but there was something odd about the place, he could hear no human sounds, nor any of their smells. It was only the woman's scent that he could detect in the air, and upon closer inspection, the village was virtually empty. There was no sign of life, it was as if someone just built the homes and left. The whole place was eerie, and far too silent. In the middle of the village stood the Taijya's Hiraikotsu and the Monk's staff Shakujou. He could sense the woman waiting just outside the village, most likely aware of his presence. His eyes narrowed, she had never been able to sense him in the past.

* * *

**Thanks again everyone for waiting so patiently for me to finally update. I hope you enjoyed the fight scene lol I worried over whether it sounded good and fit the characters. So let me know how I did. Hahaha I can't believe how long it took me to get this done. I have redone this chapter so many times. Again thank you Niham for helping me get back into writing more for this fanfic. I feel rather proud of myself for finally doing this and I am happy that this came out to be so much better then it use to be.**

MikosWish


	4. Gaining a Master

**Hey everyone, Happy thanksgiving. I figured since it had been so long since my last update, I could post this as a thank you for sticking around to continue reading my fanfic, as well as an apology for taking so long. I'm glad that there are so many people who like my story. Lol as I told yaoilover9696, I am still surprised at how many people actually like my fanfic, lol no matter what people may say. But it makes me happy that people like my fanfic and I love the reviews you all give me. It encourages me greatly. And for those who read but don't have an account, I welcome your reviews as well, so it should let you post as well if you like.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters from Inuyasha. But I do own the story line for this as well as any characters I may add to it.**

_By Wing Tei Sun "Indiscriminate force leads only to more force. Force tempered with cool thought and deep spirit creates an unstoppable energy."_

**Chapter 4: Gaining a Master**

Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru entered the village, a small smirk upon her face. Looking down with adoration upon her face at the image of Shippo's shimmering form next to her own, his face held a strange darkness that lingered in his eyes briefly. He looked up and smiled proudly at her, "Mommy, it always comes together. You always know the right thing to do." Footsteps drew her attention away from the fading image; Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru with amusement. He always seemed to have such elegance and grace. Not to mention a fountain of patience, well at least when his brother wasn't involved in some way. Her amusement quickly faded when her neon green eyes met his golden ones. A pounding sensation began to beat at the inside of her skull, as a fleeting image of a different pair of golden eyes swam across her vision. The pounding began to worsen as he came closer, his golden eyes narrowing on her.

"Those eyes… Those golden eyes… They… They are the same. They are the same as his!" Kagome shrieked as she unleashed a wave of chi, but Sesshoumaru easily moved to the side. Sesshoumaru gazed at Kagome with a cold look upon his face, with a flick of his wrist, a whip like energy lashed out at Kagome. Her eyes widened when the whip came right through her chi barrier, she moved just in time to only get a cut on her arm. Angry, Kagome sent her chi into the ground in an attempt to bring spikes up out of the ground like she had Kouga. But again Sesshoumaru easily side stepped and hit her twice more with his whip, always attacking with only the whip. Kagome slowly began to move backwards, and Sesshoumaru would move forwards, not allowing any change in the distance between them. Sesshoumaru gave Kagome an amused look as she seemed to grow with frustration. Her attacks becoming more erratic as her emotions rose, her breathing growing heavy.

Sesshoumaru felt a strange surge of power, and Kagome vanished from sight. His eyes narrowed in annoyance, his nose twitched delicately as he sought to find her. In reflex, Sesshoumaru struck at the figure sneaking up on his right side, shattering her illusion as he backhanded her. Kagome grasped at his arm as her body began to repel backwards from the impact. Her shoulders sour from the jolt and her cheek burning fiercely from not shielding herself from his backhand. As Sesshoumaru focused on removing Kagome's unnaturally strong grip, Kagome sent her chi to wrap around his left wrist. Shock passed over Sesshoumaru's face for a brief moment as an audible click came to his ears instead the chi attack he had expected, cold metal clamped around his wrist. Snarling, Sesshoumaru flung Kagome away from him, but as she flew backwards, she grabbed a piece of chain attached to the manacle on his wrist.

The force he had flung Kagome with dragged him toward her, which prevented him from removing the manacle. Kagome sent another wave of chi after his other wrist, but he swiftly moved his arm out of the way, it missing him by a few inches. Sesshoumaru charged at her, her body still lay on the ground from where she had landed painfully. Kagome sent a wave of her chi into the chains to yank Sesshoumaru farther to the left, setting him slightly off balance. Kagome sent another wave of chi aimed at his throat, but he dodged once again and sent another whip attack after her. But he suddenly felt another clamp on his right wrist, causing the whip to strike Kagome across the stomach, instead of on her arms and legs where he had been aiming. Kagome screamed in pain, even as she sent another wave of chi, which clamped the final manacle around Sesshoumaru's throat. Sesshoumaru felt a strange tug on his strength as if the chains were draining his strength. His eyes glared coldly at Kagome, who was weakly rising to her feet.

Kagome smiled with triumph, "I finally got you my pet. But isn't it ironic, that the great all mighty Sesshoumaru, Lord of the West, would be captured by a lowly human?" Kagome laughed as she limped slowly towards him, the now snarling Sesshoumaru. His eyes glowed slightly red from the insult. "Oh don't look at me like that; I am sure you will get used to your new position. And if you're a good boy, I just might give you a treat." Kagome's eyes widened when Sesshoumaru stood, his body swayed slightly, but other than that he gave no sign that the chains were draining him at all. Sparks danced around his hand as he began to pull the manacles off. With each one that he removed, Kagome would back farther away from him. With wide eyes, Kagome shook her head in shock, "That's impossible, how could you possibly… You should be too weak from the chains; they should be too strong for you too…"

Sesshoumaru appeared before her, grabbing her b y the throat, as she kicked at him with frustration. "Next time you want to try using something like this on me, I suggest you get one from a very powerful demon." A sneer spread across his face "Now you on the other hand, these will work perfectly well."

Kagome screamed wildly, summoning up her chi to lash out at Sesshoumaru, but her strength from the battle had weakened and her chi came to slow to strike at him, he clamped the manacle on her throat. Kagome felt all the strength faded instantly. The Shikon No Tama flared briefly as Kagome tried to summon up her chi, but the power was quickly drained into the chains. Sesshoumaru let Kagome go, her body dropped to the ground unable to gather the strength to land on her feet. Picking up the other end of the chain, Sesshoumaru pulled Kagome to her feet and began dragging her along behind him, ignoring her stumbling and difficulty with keeping up with him. He dragged her back to where she had left her previous companion's weapons, before turning back to her. "Now you are going to tell me where the Tetsusaiga is."

With droopy eyes, Kagome glared up at Sesshoumaru, "I will never tell where it is. And when I finally free myself, I will kill you like I did your brother." A snap could be heard as Sesshoumaru back handed her, Kagome's cheek turned a bright red as she toppled over from the impact. "You will learn to watch your mouth with me. So I suggest you keep your threats to yourself. You will learn your place and some manners during the time I allow you to live."

"Don't worry Mommy, let him grow relaxed, and when he makes a mistake, that is when we will strike. After all he can't guard us forever…" As Shippo's voice began to fade once again, Kagome felt a strange calm sooth her nerves. Sesshoumaru eyed her suspiciously, as she followed behind with exhaustion. Her wounds from the fight still bled lightly.

"Lord Sesshoumaru I have found you at last," Jaken quickly ran over from a cluster of buildings. The staff of two heads swaying as he ran, Jaken stopped at Sesshoumaru's feet, his breathing coming out in short gasps, "Lord Sesshoumaru-sama, your faithful servant has returned!" Much to Sesshoumaru's annoyance, Jaken took his time before reporting on the task given to him. Growling to make Jaken aware that he wasn't in a very patient mood, Sesshoumaru glared down at him. Jaken jumped slightly at the growl, quickly straitening up, Jaken looked proudly up at Sesshoumaru. "I have accomplished what you have asked. After a little bit of persuasion of course." Jaken tapped the staff of two heads on the ground to emphasis his point. "They said that it should be read by the time you came to retrieve it." Jaken eyed Kagome with distaste, and shook his staff at her menacingly, "Be grateful you retched creature. If it had been me, you would be dead right now."

Kagome hissed at Jaken, "If it had been you, you would be dead long ago. But you can go ahead and continue doing what you're doing. After all, I'm sure you don't want his highnesses royal foot going up you're…!" Kagome was suddenly cut off, when said foot suddenly made contact with her backend, sending her into the dirt. She hissed angrily as Jaken howled with laughter.

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru looked down at Jaken, letting the threat hang in the air. Sesshoumaru began dragging Kagome along before she could completely right herself. She stumbled often, her body exhausted from the constant draining of the chains. Kagome struggled when she suddenly found herself thrown over Sesshoumaru's shoulder, a cloud seeming to form beneath his feet. Kagome struggled as much as she could, but something hard hit her head, her body slumped as she blacked out.

"I still don't know why you don't just force the information out of her Lord Sesshoumaru-sama. Then we could just kill her and be done with her. But now we have to deal with two of these pathetic creatures."

"Jaken…" Jaken looked at his Lord nervously, Sesshoumaru's warning tone sending shivers down his spine. "We need her in order to find out where the sword is, and there are other things that need to be found out. There are some… tests that I need to make." Shifting Kagome so that she was now cradled in his arm, Sesshoumaru stared down at her face with curiosity. The slight pulses from the Shikon No Tama drew his eyes, a frown forming on his face.

Kagome groaned as she sat up, dead leaves clung to her hair. She gazed about the meadow that stretched out before her, desolate and lonely; looking up at the tree she sat under. No leaves hung on its branches, blood dripping from slashes in its trunk. Kagome shivered as an icy breeze blew at her. Slowly coming to her feet, her body swayed as pain coursed through her. Kagome picked a random direction and started walking; the wind slowly began pushing harder at her. Tears slowly streamed down her face, "it wasn't my fault… It wasn't… They brought it upon themselves. Please… Forgive me Shippo. I only want to see you again, if only for one moment. Please don't leave me… Ah there," Kagome quickly ran to a cave in the distance, hoping to get out of the wind.

Collapsing, Kagome curled up in the fatal position and began to cry. "Shippo… Shippo…" Small hand touched Kagome's cheek lightly, but when Kagome opened her eyes, whoever it had been vanished. Sitting up quickly, she pushed her back against the wall and wrapped her arms around her tucked up knees.

"Don't worry Mommy… I sent someone to you, so don't be sad. So don't be lonely, you don't have to be alone no more."

Kagome's head was pounding when she finally awoke, her eyes squinted shut just wanting the pain to subside. Slowly opening her eyes, she found herself in what seemed to be a servant's room. Her eyes narrowed when she realized why she was there. Her hand quickly came up to touch the manacle on her throat; the cold metal filled her with rage, even as it drained her energy and strength. The chain linked to the manacle was attached to the wall by the bed. Kagome yanked on the chain in furry, her legs getting twisted up in the covers. Her head jerked towards the door as it opened to reveal Sesshoumaru, a smirk upon his face. Kagome tried to leap at him, but the blankets wrapped around her legs and the weight of the chains caused her to fall at his feet. Kagome glared up at Sesshoumaru, an amused expression on his face. Her eyes were drawn to what looked like a metal dog collar in his hand, strange symbols and intricate designs covered it.

"You haven't seen one of these have you? In a way it's something quite similar to what you stuck on my brother. The only difference is this is for humans, well it does have a few other differences but you will find that out in time. Not many can get their hands on this because of how it is made." Kagome backed away from him, feeling nervous at the site of a gleam in his eyes. "It would make things far too difficult if you were constantly exhausted because of those chains you have on now. You will give me Tetsusaiga whether you want to or not."

"Never," Kagome tried to dart away, but she once again tripped over chains and blankets. Sesshoumaru grabbed her and began struggling to get the collar on, his frustration growing at the lack of an arm to use. He growled angrily when she bit into his arm, Sesshoumaru was forced to pin her to the floor. Forcing her arms to her side, then pinning them there with his thighs. Settling most of his weight on top of her so she couldn't move, he first reached to remove the Shikon No Tama from her. But sparks flew from it, even the chains were not able to suck in the power fast enough to keep it from singing his hand. Sesshoumaru yanked his hand away in slight surprise; he waited for the jewel to calm down before taking the collar to put on her.

Kagome gasping with exhaustion from struggling had tried to scratch at his face before he had pinned her down, was now screaming at the top of her lungs, the pain from her wounds flared. Kagome paused long enough to gasp for air, before she started swinging her head back and forth as she tried to bite him again. A yelp of surprise escaped Kagome when Sesshoumaru suddenly leaned down and bit her shoulder; she stared at him in shock as he slipped the collar on her. The markings on the collar glowed as he locked it into place, and took off the manacle. Sesshoumaru stood up, dragging Kagome up as well. Kagome attempted to summon her chi now that the chains were gone, but the symbols came to life and her chi settled down again. She looked up at Sesshoumaru with hatred, but he merely looked back at her with an amused look on his face.

Sesshoumaru took a few steps back as he watched her, "As you can already tell, that can do a bit more then what you had gotten on my foolish brother." Kagome tried to remove the collar, but it was latched firmly in place. Kagome glared defiantly up at the smirking Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru turned his back on Kagome and walked out of the room, as he entered the hall he turned his head in her direction. "Come," his tone was mischievous; his eyes twinkled at her with amusement. When Kagome didn't immediately follow his command, the collar flared to life, her legs moving on their own. Sesshoumaru walked down the hall, Kagome was helpless, but too follow; the collar gave her no choice.

The wind howled outside of the deserted castle sitting in the middle of a completely dead forest. Howls from those long dead vibrated off of the ancient walls, as ghostly figures wandered endlessly, as they are forced to relive their moments of death. They filled the halls as they wandered, the castle still stained from their deaths. Among the howls of misery there could be heard laughter coming from the basement below the castle. A dark figure walked among the bodies of those who had recently been mutilated, the smell of decay hung about the room. The corpses of an elderly man hung limply. Placing a pale hand on the aged face, the figure chuckled.

"Foolish old man, did you really think you could stop me? It has already begun. After all these years of careful planning and manipulating. So you see old man, your attempt was futile. The prophecy you predicted will never happen. All I have to do is dispose of that annoying pest you attempted to put in my way. But that won't last for too long. I get whatever I want after all. And there is nothing you or your little prophecy can do about it. Your prophecy will die along with you old man. There will be no one to remember you for it either."

There was a shift in the air, as if a restless sigh. A ghostly figure of the old man hung above the body, his soulless eyes gazing at the figure. His voice came out in a haunting rasp, "The prophecy will be fulfilled, and the land of the dead will be the meeting point as the destinies of many collide. Two worlds will become one as the child of light and the child of darkness bring the world into unity. The prophecy cannot be stopped. So it has been foretold, and so it will be. You will fail to stop it. No one can stop what was meant to be. And you cannot be that child of darkness. One had already been chosen, even if you force my people and I here, burdened with our deaths." The castle shook with the screams of the dead as night drew closer, the hour of their death drawing close once again. The ghostly figure arched in agony as he sent his own wail of tortured pain. "The prophecy will come to pass."

The dark figure growled in irritation, "Say what you will, but that light can't exist in darkness long without being tainted. I will drive the light away, it will be concurred by my darkness, and I will win this old man."

The ghostly figure drew quiet once again; his wise ancient eyes bore into the figures face, "The darkness cannot conquer the light. Nor can the light conquer the darkness. They can only meet and find a balance, to create neutral ground. One cannot exist without the other. You cannot change the path of the prophecy. No matter what you may try, you cannot bring forth your dream into reality. The child of light and the child of darkness will bring peace to the calamity and restore the balance to what you have brought into chaos."

The figure narrowed his eyes at the aged soul, "We shall see old man. We shall see." With that he turned to walk among the decaying corpses, candles dimly showed the shadowed shapes. Bodies hung upon the wall in grotesques fashions. The figure gazed around, his body trembling with suppressed laughter.

* * *

**Here you go, lol come on did you guys really think that I could bring myself to kill off Sesshoumaru of all people? I mean, how I could possibly do that without making him look pathetic? Besides I love Sesshoumaru as much as all of you guys do. I hope you enjoyed some of the things I have put in this fanfic. I had a lot of fun with this chapter. And Kaitlin, no more about the Magic sex chains. Sesshoumaru would not need to resort to such things. Lol sorry guys inside joke I suppose.**

**MikosWish**


	5. Struggling Through The Depths of Darknes

**Here is the fifth chapter finally lol. Sorry it took so long, my laptops cooling fan decided to die on me. So I had to send it in and it took forever before they fixed it and sent it back, probably because of the holidays. In this chapter I wanted to show more of the extent of the state of mind Kagome is in right now. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. Lately I have been a bit unsure of how much people are really enjoying this. I even made the chapter a bit longer for you guys so enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

_There are two tragedies in life.  
One is not to get your heart's desire._

_The other is to get it._

_-George Bernard Shaw_

_Chapter 5: Struggling Through the Depths of Darkness_

Kagome glared up at Sesshoumaru as he snarled down at her, both had grown weary of each other's prescience. "And I told you there was no way in hell I would tell you. Tetsusaiga is mine now." Kagome's face eased into exasperation, "Besides, it's not like you can even use it. And I doubt that Inuyasha's death has changed anything." Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, his irritation began to rise each time she opened her mouth, her manners, he clearly noted, had degraded drastically with her rise in power. She seemed almost as bad as his brother; the only difference was the fact that his brother's words were far cruder. Sesshoumaru stiffened when Kagome's mood suddenly changed, her expression softening from a snide intensity to that of a lifeless doll.

No matter what Sesshoumaru said or did, she didn't seem to register a reaction. A deep growl rumbled from his chest as he grabbed the chains attached to her collar, her body lurching forward as he pulled the chains. Much to Sesshoumaru's surprise, Kagome followed his every direction as long as he pulled on the chain. He would just order her to walk, but since her mind wasn't registering the commands, the collar didn't seem to register it either. Sesshoumaru brought her outside, watching her closely for a reaction, but there was still no response from her. Every so often he would pause his walking, and she would paused until he resumed. Her body began to sway as if listening to the rhythm of some melody her ears alone could hear. Neon green eyes opened wide with a mysterious fascination. One silky eyebrow rose at her strange behavior. A sigh passed through her lips.

Sesshoumaru brought her closer when the swaying stopped, her expression darkening as her eyes narrowed. Shaking her slightly, Sesshoumaru found that she still would not react to her surroundings. Her eyes burned with hatred, but instead of it aiming towards anything about her, it seemed to be something deep within her, her mind seeming to fall deep within the darkness in her soul. Waves of heated energy washed off of her, had the collar not been on her, her energy would have burned the flesh off of any demon near her.

* * *

Kagome walked through the fog covered graveyard. Her breath came out I white wisps from the cold air, her body shivering as she made her way through the many graves. Each grave held the names of the villagers she had killed. Kagome recoiled from the shadows that clung to the graves, as if their very presence struck out at her. Two small figures drew her attention towards a smaller batch of graves, as the two figures struggled against each other. Her eyes widened as two Shippo's'' stood before her. One was the Shippo she was use to seeing in this place, a white cloth was wrapped around his bleeding eyes, as well as across the gash on his chest. As he looked up at Kagome behind his bandaged eyes, an overwhelming sadness and pain filled her. Curiosity filled her as she looked upon the second Shippo, he was the one she saw outside of this world, he who encouraged her upon the path she had taken.

This Shippo sent a cold chill through her, causing her to take a step back. His hair was matted with dirt, his teeth pointed as if filed to a fine point. His clothes were covered in blotches of black ooze. He took a step closer to Kagome, his eyes narrowed with a mischievous twinkle. The first Shippo made an odd whine before he too quickly took a step forward, as if to ward off the seconds movements. Kagome looked between the two in confusion, unable to tell which was her Shippo, Her bottom lip trembled as the two came closer. "Sh… Shippo?" Their heads cocked in mirrored directions, both gazed up at her expectantly. The second Shippo drew her attention again as his hand began to stroke the nearest gravestone with a content look on his face that made Kagome nervous. Her eyes shifted to the name on the grave, her body trembling as Inuyasha's name registered in her mind.

As Kagome was about to back away, the second Shippo launched himself towards her, grasping her hand in his tiny one. The world began to spin in a blur as the first Shippo screamed in agony and rage. Kagome paled when everything came to a sudden halt. A shudder raked through Kagome's senses when Inuyasha's voice reached her ears. "Damn it! There's too many of them!" Taking a step back, it was as if a swarm of demons appeared to surround her. Their bodies shimmering like ghosts. Her head snapped to the side when Miroku's voice and Inuyasha's could suddenly be heard arguing.

"But we can't just leave him Inuyasha!" her companions forms seemed to shimmer next to her, her eyes froze on Inuyasha's tense face.

Inuyasha looked towards her, his eyes filled with pain, "we have no choice." Kagome's eyes widened in shock as she came to realize what it was she was reliving.

The hordes of demons seemed to press closer at his statement, Kagome screamed as she looked frantically for a sign of a bushy brown tail. Her body stiffening as Sango stepped next to her, "Kagome I'm sorry. We have to go… There's nothing we can do." Her voice had been soft, as if truly regretting the decision they had made. Hatred filled Kagome as Sango's hand came to rest upon her shoulder, the feeling of ice sinking into her as Kagome's gaze stared blankly at the cave walls they had been trapped in. The demons began to blur as Kagome began to scream out Shippo's name, her voice reverberating off the walls. Kagome blinked as black smoke burned her eyes and filled her lungs, causing her to cough. Blinking back tears, Kagome was shocked to find herself in the remains of a burned down village. Looking down, a gasp tore through her slightly parted lips. The mutilated bodies of Sango, Kirara, and Miroku lay at her feet. Kagome began to tremble as her eyes began to notice everything about her. A cry of despair filled her, flakes of dry blood clung to her hands, her clothes covered in her friends blood.

Kagome turned and fled with tears streaming down her cheeks, as skeletal arms reached up from the ground to trip her. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… Please forgive me." Tripping, her face slammed into the dirt. About to resume fleeing, Kagome found herself in the lifeless grasslands once again. Sobs shook her body as she curled into a ball, only wanting it to all end.

"Mommy, don't cry. They deserved it. They brought it upon themselves. You did what had to be done. The world will become our perfect place, and we can finally be together again." The second Shippo's voice sent a cold, hollow feeling into her heart and the tears upon her face began to dry.

She was startled as the first Shippo appeared a stricken look upon his face. "No Mommy, don't listen to him. I don't like it when you do bad things." Kagome was filled with confusion, unable to decide what to believe. A strange calm filled her as the first Shippo placed a gentle pawed hand on her. "It's ok Mommy, you're not alone no more. I sent someone remembers. So don't be sad." The second Shippo hissed angrily as he began to fade away. The first Shippo soon followed, Kagome curled into a ball as she cried.

* * *

Sesshoumaru stared down at Kagome with narrowed eyes, unable to figure anything out about the woman standing before him. A childlike delight was on her face, every now and then she would giggle at something her she seemed to be looking at. The servants in the castle eyed her with curiosity as he dragged her down the long stretch of hallways. At present, she seemed as innocent as a newborn cub. Every now and then he was forced to stop as she paused to touch whatever drew her fascinated attention, with delicate fingers she would lightly stroke the object of her curiosity. For the most part, it would be the glittery objects that drew the expression of awe on her face. Her hand would lightly brush the glistening object, and then moved to do the same to the blackened orb that hung about her neck. A look of confusion would cross her face for a brief moment, before he pulled her along behind him. Irritated, Sesshoumaru glared down at her, he hadn't been able to get anything out of her about his father's sword.

Kagome began to skip lightly as they walked, but no matter what she did; Sesshoumaru felt she wasn't completely there. Even when he had first seen her after her change, it seemed as if she was never completely there. Her eyes held a certain distance within them; sometimes she seemed more gone then other times. Although she was skipping and giggling, and her expressions showed such childlike emotions, it seemed as if no one was there. Coming to a few of his soldiers, he gave them orders to patrol the lands. Normally he would do it himself, but he had to focus on his brother's woman, since it seemed things were going to take longer to get what he wanted then what he had originally thought. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly as her soft hand slipped into his own. Her warm hand lay small and delicate within his long elegant ones. As he gazed down at her, wondering what it was she was planning, she merely smiled up at him like Rin would have done. He frowned slightly, unable to understand why, out of all the people in the world. Why had it been these two women that had not been afraid of him. It was this question that he had been trying to answer. First it had been his half brothers woman, who had stood so defiantly against him in his father's grave. Even after that time, she had repeatedly stood up too him unafraid. Sure she had shown fear, but it was not fear of him, it was fear of losing those close to her. Unlike the Taijya, who had slain countless demons, the one he believed was called Sango. Although he had grown to respect her to a point, she had been afraid of him. So had been Miroku, the Hoshi in their group, the two people whose point in existence was to fight demons where the ones to fear him.

Then came along Rin, an orphaned child who was even younger than his brother's woman. Even though he had threatened her, she showed no fear, and had even attempted to take care of him after he had had lost his arm. These events had drawn his curiosity. So when the child died, his sword Tensaiga, had given him the chance to investigate why they did not fear him. Because the only two who did not have the power nor the training to kill his kind, were the only ones who did not seem to fear him. Even his brother had feared him, fear that he may have tried to hide behind the anger and hatred, but fear all the same. So he had revived the orphan to allow her to stay in his prescience, so that he may find out why both girls had not been afraid. But even though he had brought her along with him, he still could not find the answers he sought. So he continued to attack his brother, using his father's sword as an excuse to investigate his brother's woman. Hoping that he may find the answers from both of them, for he had lost interest in his father's sword long ago. Knowing he could never wield it because of his father's hope of giving his foolish half brother a chance. In the end, he was only left with more questions and no answers. But now he had both the woman and the child in his possession. And keeping them close to him, there was no way he shouldn't be able to find the answers that had been plaguing him for so long.

Sesshoumaru was once again drawn from his thoughts as the young woman swayed and then nestled against his side, clutching his arm. A shiver ran down his spine that caused his eyes to narrow down at the woman. There was one thing that has had him on edge since these two humans had entered his life, he could sense a strange change occurring within himself. He was not sure where this change was leading him, but he did know it was a change he was not all together happy about. Part of him feared it was a change that had started in his father. The curiosity that had given him reasons to allow these humans to live, but even though he tried the curiosity prevented him from killing them and being done with it all. A small sigh escaped him as he bent down o pick her up; she curled into the soft fur on his shoulder. The differences in her behavior baffled him even more; first she wanted to control him. After that plan had failed, she had seemed venomous with distrust and had wanted to kill him. Now she seemed so very innocent and trusting. She seemed far more relaxed then he could ever remember. Even the times he had spied on his foolish half brother, unaware that he was being watched, she had not been so relaxed. Instead she had been tense and constantly angry (no thanks to his brother).

So why did she relax around him so completely, even with her sanity having left her. Even when she had been contemplating on how to kill him, even raging at him, she had been so very relaxed. Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru began to carry her back to the room he had prepared for her. Frustration was beginning to overwhelm him, with each thought that passed through his mind. A feeling that something much bigger was involved filled him. There was something important that he was missing, and in order to get his answers, he had to solve what that bigger question was. Instinctively, Sesshoumaru wrapped his arm more tightly around her as she shivered from whatever dream she was having. A small whimper made her lip tremble; Sesshoumaru gazed down at her as a sense of foreboding enveloped him. But the feeling was forgotten as her eyes suddenly snapped open, the distrust and hatred returned to her face.

* * *

An enraged howl pierced through the wails of the dead. The dark figure snarled at the ghostly image of the old man. "Where are they old man? You will tell me now!" The figure hissed angrily when he was only met with the wails of the dead that filled the castle. "Old man, need I remind you, that I can always bring you back to life. You wouldn't want to relive two agonizing deaths every night would you? Or maybe I should make your people suffer even more for your failure to protect them as their king should? You have already failed them; must you make them suffer more? I can end their suffering, and yours. All you have to do is tell me where they are hidden."

"The aged soul shook his head in pity, "The prophecy has already foretold our time of redemption. You will never free us, even if I were to betray the prophecy. You will find them at the hour the prophecy has chosen, when…"

"Shut up about your damn prophecy. The prophecy that crazed witch foretold is nothing more than a delusion. I will not allow anything to get in my way. Foolish old man, you will come to understand that I always get what I want."

"You cannot bring her back… She is forever trapped in that world… For she could not love any living soul. You, who had been nothing but a pawn, could not own that cold heart. Nor can you make the chosen one into her. You waste your time. And she…"

"Old man I am warning you! Remember that you are kept from the suffering I have thrown those council members into, merely because I have a small need of you. But I can always forget that, and pick a different option. So unless you want to share their fate, I suggest you keep silent."

The figure glowered up at the aged soul with such burning hatred, but the ghostly figure just shook his head before fading away. Giving only one raspy reply, "You will share the same fate, but you will never gain what you want most. Even if the prophecy wasn't against you."

* * *

Sesshoumaru scowled down at Kagome where he had just dumped her upon the floor. Little tiny scratches were slowly healing on his face, from what he could only assume was that she had attempted to claw him to death. "It would be wise to remember your place woman." His patience slowly draining with each confrontation he had with this girl, and he couldn't understand why. He watched in amusement as she attempted to walk away from him with dignity intact. A smirk appeared on his face, "stop." She shrieked in irritation when the collar came to life and forced her to stop. Once again, Sesshoumaru grabbed the chain and dragged her back to the interrogation room he had set up.

Setting aside another book, Sesshoumaru flipped open another as he sat within his library. He could find no spell that could help him get the whereabouts of Tetsusaiga. He could not afford for it to be in the wrong hands. At least when the half breed had it, it was in the hands of his blood line. Even though he only had half of it within him, it would be far better than someone who was completely unrelated. But there was possibly someone who did know how to get the information from her; the only problem was that he couldn't bring that woman with him. She would make things far too difficult then they needed to be. She had already been here a week, and she had caused too many problems.

* * *

Kagome could hear Sesshoumaru's voice outside her door, a grin spread across her face when he told the guard that he would be leaving. The gears began to turn inside her mind and with that a possible chance to escape. Turning her head so that she could glare at the demon lord as he entered, hoping he would not notice she was planning something. "I will return shortly. It would be wise if you didn't try anything. You will not like your punishment should you choose to ignore my warning." His eyes narrowed on her face before turning and leaving the room, not giving her a second glance.

After waiting patiently for about an hour, Kagome stood up, her body arched down as if in pain. Her face formed to look sickly, as she staggered to the door. She leaned against the wall, her voice coming out in a groan, "Is… Is someone there? I feel so ill. Please."

A creak sounded as the door slowly swung open, and Kagome slowly edged away as if scared. The demon that came in was a scarred, hateful man who stared down at her with contempt, his distaste for humans evident on his face. Kagome whimpered in an attempt to make herself appear even more the pathetically weak human he no doubt assumed she was. "What do you want, be quick."

Swaying, Kagome looked up at him as weakly as possible, "The collar. It's on so tight, I can't breathe."

"I have orders not to take it off. Find your own way to breath." He turned to leave as Kagome fumed inwardly.

"Mommy, don't let him go. You have to get it off." Shippo's image shimmered just beyond the doorway. He grinned wickedly, his teeth an unnatural point. He looked just as he had in her dreams; a shiver ran through her body.

Gasping, Kagome made a choking noise as she quickly turned away from Shippo. She focused on the demon currently walking out of the door, trying to ease away the strange terror that the sight of the young cub was instilling into her. "But if I die, won't Sesshoumaru punish you? He may possibly kill you. After all, I have information that he wants."

The demon froze in mid step, before turning back to her with a nervous look in his eyes. There was fear in his eyes, although he tried to hide it, "Alright. But only long enough for you to get your breath back. Then it's going back on. Don't try anything." Kagome watched in fascination as the collar slipped off with surprising ease.

She could feel the rush of power coursing through her as the collar stopped blocking it. The demons eyes widened in shock at the sudden power that surrounded her. A grin was forming upon Kagome's face as she straightened and summoned the power to her command, holding out her hand to place it against his shaking chest, she whispered mischievously, "Fox Fire." The demon bellowed as he irrupted into silver-gold flames, staggering back into the wall. Only to collapse into agonizing screams before going silent.

Shippo came over to clasp her hand in his, his face seeming to melt into the face he once had. Kagome's black robes swirled around her as she bent to pick the collar from where the demon had dropped it. Shippo giggled as he tugged her down the hall, the fox designs upon her robes seeming to glow with life. Shrill laughter echoed through the hall as she sent waves of power around her, using the fox magic to manipulate the castle.

* * *

Sesshoumaru sighed in irritation, not only had it been pointless to leave, but some idiot removed the collar from that wretched woman. Even from the distance he was at, he could feel the chaos she was wreaking. The air was gaining a slight scent of fresh death. He could only hope she hadn't killed everyone in the castle yet. There was a good chance for that though, considering the fact that her power wasn't what it had been when he first came into contact with her, In fact it seemed softer in a way, although it could be an after affect from the collar. His eyes narrowed when he finally reached the gates of his castle, a few of the servants cowered just outside. Ignoring them he quickly rushed in, servants everywhere scattered about trying to hide. The bodies of warriors lay about. Blood splatters covered parts of the walls, while scorch marks blackened the floor where a few bodies lay. Sesshoumaru stared with slight surprise at the lack of damage she had caused.

As he walked about the castle, he found less and less signs of death. He eventually found her in the courtyard he had walked her into earlier; a few bodies slumped at her side. She was staring with a dazed expression down at her left side, her head at times moving between her different sides. Sesshoumaru growled in annoyance as he glimpsed the collar in her hand. Sidestepping the flames that resembled fox fire that she had sent his way, it blazed as it burned the nearest object. "You will regret not listening to my earlier warning. Dodging a few spikes of energy, Sesshoumaru came up to Kagome. But he ignored her, and sent an energy whip at one of the corpses instead. Kagome cried out I pain as she tried to dodge the whip. It sliced into her back as her illusion fell apart.

"I'm going to kill you!" Kagome's body began to glow, as she summoned all the power she could. Her eyes becoming crazed with the overwhelming need to kill. The hunger to hear the screams of her victims coursed through her.

Shippo shimmered as he danced around her in glee, "Mommy. Kill it. Kill the white doggy. Kill it!" He came to stand behind Kagome, the ground beneath her feet cracked from the raw power of the Shikon. The wind picked up, sending a howling lash at Sesshoumaru.

His eyes narrowed farther as he came forward, wanting to stop her before she could unleash the attack. The light of the Shikon seemed to spread out to engulf everything it touched. It repelled Sesshoumaru back a few paces, making him growl angrily. Sesshoumaru's eyes tinted to a red as his courtyard crumbled and fell about him. The walls farther back began to crack in a web like patterns. "You had been warned woman." Sesshoumaru began to summon up his own power; it crackled and sparked as it came into contact with the Shikon's power. Servants shrieked as they ran for safety.

Kagome froze, as the Shippo from her dreams appeared as if summoned by Sesshoumaru's power. The cloth about his eyes stained with bloody tears, "No Mommy. Don't listen to him. You have to stop! Once you take the step it will be too late. You won't be able to return." The other Shippo hissed like a serpent before backing away as he disappeared. The other Shippo from her dreams reached out to clasp her hand, the Shikon instantly calmed and the purplish light faded. Kagome felt her body quiver, her breath coming out in shaky pants just before Sesshoumaru's energy slammed into her body, sending her stumbling backwards. Exhaustion seemed to take a deep hold over her, her body swayed to the side. Kagome cried out in pain as Sesshoumaru back handed her. Her body bouncing off of the ground. Sesshoumaru was on her in seconds, pinning her to the floor once again. Kagome struggled as she attempted to summon up her power again. Her face burned when Sesshoumaru slapped her again, the cold metal of the collar came about her throat almost choking her as Sesshoumaru put it back on. A queasy exhaustion filled her; unable to struggle Sesshoumaru dragged her by the collar. Her legs scraped against the cold stone, unable to bring her body up to walk. Kagome winced as he sore legs hit steps as he dragged her to what could only be a dungeon.

* * *

But even for a dungeon it was unnaturally clean and dry. And it seemed even his dungeon was not allowed to have even so much of a rat in it like most dungeons in this era. Sesshoumaru dumped her in his deepest cell; he fastened the wall chain to her collar. The little symbols on it pulsed lightly. "You will stay down here till I'm through with you. I will decide from there what is to be done with you." He stared down at her coldly before turning and slamming the door behind him.

Fear crept into Kagome as she curled into a tight ball, her ripped robes doing little to warm her flesh. The silence drew in on her, suffocating her. Her eyes began to dance about; flashes of her dream seemed to transform the dry cell into a damp and cold cave. She could hear Shippo's screams of terror begin to bounce upon the walls. Kagome's body rocked as she clutched herself, before curling up into the fatal position. "Shippo… I'm sorry. I should have saved you. I shouldn't have let them stop me… I'm sorry." Kagome groaned as the room spun into what seemed like a portal, her stomach lurched sickly. Kagome clamped her hands over her ears as Sango's voice reached her ears.

"Kagome… Do you think we will ever free my brother?" A sigh of wind made her surroundings creak. Kagome tried to press herself against the wall. "Don't worry Kagome. I'm sure things with Inuyasha will turn out for the best. Soon he won't even think about Kikyou. Kagome I think I love Miroku…"

Sobbing, Kagome shook her head violently, "No… Stop it. Go away. You're dead. You're dead. I killed you. It's not my fault… You deserved it. You took him away…"

The air grew colder around Kagome, "We were family. Kagome…My soul sister, you betrayed us…"

"No… You betrayed me. You betrayed me first." Kagome screamed defiantly as her body began to rock faster. One of the few guards left gazed in at her nervously, as she muttered to herself. Her eyes jerking about, her gaze searching for the source that caused the voices she longed to escape from. Nervously, the guard inched as far away from the door as possible. Being careful not to go as far as to abandon his post. Hearing the strange scraping sounds of bare bone upon cement, the demon closed his eyes trying to pretend he heard nothing. His mother's superstitious warnings of the dead sending chills down his spine.

Kagome whimpered, her body pressed as tightly in the corner as she could get herself. Her eyes stayed glued with horrid fascination upon the mangled corpse that was once Sango. Deep gashes covered her where Kirara had torn into her during the moment she had been trapped within the nightmarish world that Kagome had placed her in. Some parts of her body showed bone where insects and wild animals had fed from her. The stench of decay made her gag. Sango dragged her broken body through the small narrowed window on the opposite wall, only to fall to the floor with a sickly wet sound. Kagome's eyes widened in terror as Sango began to drag herself towards her. Bones scraped against the cold stone, some of Sango's decaying flesh detached as it rubbed off. A trail of slime and decayed flesh was left behind her. Kagome began screaming uncontrollably as Sango reached out to her, insects crawled in and out of her.

* * *

Sesshoumaru paced his library irritably, his eyes narrowed in thought. He could not understand how one woman could bring so much trouble in just a few short hours. His castle was a wreck; a little less than half of his soldiers had been killed. H had to force the servants to get back to work, and punish those who had tried to leave. Now the blasted woman was screaming up a storm in his dungeon. Sesshoumaru's temples throbbed, causing his temper to rise, as Kagome's screams went into a higher pitch. Growling in furry, Sesshoumaru grabbed the nearest object and threw it into the wall. Shattering what had been a vase into a dozen pieces. Sesshoumaru moved to glare out a window, unable to figure out what he couldn't seem to control himself. He had never before had a problem except for a few encounters with his half brother.

Ignoring the scurry of his servants who came to clean up his mess, Sesshoumaru went back to looking through his books. He relaxed as her screams died down, and was gifted with silence. He managed to flip through another book before her screams came back at full force. Slamming his book shut, he stood up, unable to tolerate her screams. Servants darted out of his way, many wondering if things would ever return to the calm it once was. Sesshoumaru swung the cell door nearly off its hinges, his eyes instantly locking onto the hysteric woman. Her eyes glazed and dilated, she stared off into a place he could not see. With a few steps he was before her, grasping her by the front of her robes, he pulled her up closer to him. Kagome broke out into even crazier hysterics, clawing at him as her hands swung about. His ears began to ring from the volume her voice had risen to at such close range. Sesshoumaru's face came within inches of her own and snarled.

* * *

**Yay the fifth chapter is now finished. I hope I gave a better insight to the kind of state her mind is in.**

**A special thanks to SayaHaji1648, vivianXmanson, nelita, yaoilover6969, Megan Consoer, for giving reviews in either chapters.**

**And also thank you Niham for encouraging me to continue my fan fiction and giving me my ideas and fixing my mistakes.**

**Yay this is my longest chapter so far, so I hope everyone enjoyed. Please Review.**

**If you have questions I will try and answer them the best I can. If you think my story seems a bit rushed let me know and I will try to do better in the future.**

**And I really hope you guys are happy with this. I had to painfully copy and paste each part of this through a messenger to get it to my editor since for some reason the attachment through email wouldn't work.**

**MikosWish**


	6. Epiphany

**Sorry it took so long to update. Things have been extremely busy here. I just moved in with my sister and am trying really hard to get a job. Plus I have also been starting to write my own novels that I plan on publishing. But here is the long awaited chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha**

"_Truly great madness cannot be achieved without significant intelligence." Henrik Tikkanen_

Chapter 6: Epiphany

Sango's pale-brown eyes began to fade into an angry gold; the cold grip of darkness released her as she stared in surprise. Kagome attempted to pull out of Sesshoumaru's grip, her eyes darting away from his, unwilling to show her full weakness of the terror that had gripped her. His grip tightened the more she tried to break free, and shook her lightly to keep her attention. Reluctantly, Kagome looked into his golden eyes that were so much like the pair haunting her memories. Her attention was taken away from his, just as he began to speak. A glimmer in the corner of her eye drew her farther away. The threatening growl did not reach her as her body trembled in fear. The twisted Shippo of her waking hours stuck to the wall like a lizard. A dark green good oozed from between his oriented teeth, the whites of his eyes black. "Don't trust the silver dog. Mommy, don't trust him. He is taking it all away. Don't let him take me away."

"It's ok Mommy. Let him take it away. We don't want it. Let it go." Kagome turned her eyes away from the wall; her eyes came to rest on her dream Shippo. The cloth bound about his eyes gone, revealing eyes that looked at her softly. With flecks of dried blood upon his cheeks, his skin was pale as he shimmered next to her.

"Look away. Look to me." Startled, Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru's serious face. He looked at her warily, wondering and fearing what might have captured her attention so fiercely.

"It's ok…" Kagome could barely hear Shippo's fading voice as she stared, mesmerized by Sesshoumaru's golden gaze. With a sigh, Sesshoumaru straightened and unlocked the chain from the wall. Something about the dungeon had changed and it felt unnerving even to him, as if some invisible evil crept in the cold stones beneath his feet. He could not figure out what possessed him to treat the crazed lunatic beside him with such care. He should just leave her to rot in her own misery. But something from deep within him warned against such actions.

And these warning were never wrong. Something was coming, and in some way, the young woman was the key. They key to what? He could not say. Pausing, Sesshoumaru gazed out a passing window, with narrowed eyes at the horizon. The stairs to the dungeon sat behind him with a sense of foreboding. Kagome stood silently beside him in a distracted manner. Seemingly lost in her own thoughts or perhaps it was just another affect of her crazed mind. He could not help but wonder what his foolish brother and the rest of their companions could have done to turn her into what she was now.

* * *

"Damn it! I almost had her! How dare they get in my way?" The dark figure glared at his reflection in the silver water. His knuckles began to turn white as he gripped the ancient basin. "Why does everyone persist in trying to defy me?" The figure glared for a moment longer at the strange liquid before turning abruptly, "It seems that I should begin the final preparations." He gazed about the empty room slowly, the basin resting lonely in the middle of the room. The water bubbled slightly and then grew still once again. He slammed the door behind him, his rage pulsing through his veins. "I should have just forced more into her at the beginning. She isn't broken enough. But no matter, in time that will change."

"But who? Who is the one that has been in my way from the very beginning? Who

is the one that the old man sent to intercept my plans? I figured I would only have to fight the one. But now!" His eyes narrowed further as he turned a corner, his eyes falling on the iron door down the hall. "Well… I could always send one of those to play. A distraction…" His eyes turned to dangerous slits of amusement, his face turning hideous within the shadows. The wails of the dead rose as night fell upon the land.

* * *

The ghostly face of the old man shook in silent pity, his body shimmering while he

stared up at the ceiling. Agony filled his eyes as he prayed…

* * *

Sesshoumaru glared venomously at the rising sun, his temper rising with lack of sleep caused by the crazed woman in his possession. Whatever trance he had managed to hold over her had vanished not to long after he had brought her back from the dungeons. He had to not only prepare a new room to place her in since she had destroyed her old one. But he had to listen to her childish tirade for most of the night, before she had fallen asleep out of exhaustion. It was one of the few moments he almost wished he didn't have sensitive hearing. And to make matters worse, he was no closer to finding his father's sword. And with what sleep he did manage to gain, he was plagued by dreams of the fox cub that had once clung to the crazed woman so desperately. No matter how he tried, he could not remember the words spoken by the young cub. Not that it was really important.

Sesshoumaru stiffened as he sensed Jaken's presence in the distance, with Rin's was right beside him. Growling in annoyance, Sesshoumaru left his castle swiftly. As he drew closer to them the, muscles in his face tightened, his eyes taking on a light pink. He could smell fear radiating off of them, mingled with the coppery stench of blood. When they finally came into view, he could see Rin sitting atop of Ah-Un. Her eyes darted around fearfully, but as she saw Sesshoumaru, relief and joy made her exhausted face glow with life. Rin's hair was matted with clumps of dirt and leaves, the skin visible revealed scratches and bruises caused by whatever they had fled from.

Jaken sighed with relief as he hobbled over to his lord. "Sesshoumaru-sama, it was horrible. We barely escaped with our lives." Jaken collapsed to his knees, his breathing labored. A small but deep gash bled lightly on his back, and a clot wrapped around the wound.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, "Jaken."

Jaken brought himself under control, his body shivered with exhaustion. "We… We were attacked. I have never seen a demon like that. The soldiers were completely annihilated. Rin and I had barely escaped with our lives. If it wasn't for Ah-Un, there is no telling what would have happened."

A small throbbing pain began to pulse in the back of Sesshoumaru's head. "Any idea where this enemy came from?" Sesshoumaru growled when Jaken shook his head. Shifting his gaze to the young girl on the two headed dragon, he quickly looked her over, but was satisfied that she had no serious injuries. "Take her to the West side of the castle. She is not to ever enter the south wing or the dungeons under any circumstances." Without waiting for a response, Sesshoumaru headed in the direction they had come from.

* * *

Kagome glared at the little imp as he waved the staff of two heads at her. A bandage was bound about him to stop the bleeding from his back. After Sesshoumaru had apparently left, it seemed Jaken had taken it upon himself on educating her on how to act around his master. Kagome longed to be free of the chains that bound her. She desperately wanted to see Shippo again, but his shimmering form hasn't appeared since she was brought from the dungeons below. A chill ran down her spine as an image of Sango's grotesque figure swam through her mind.

"Pay attention you little brat. You could at least show gratitude towards Sesshoumaru-sama since he let you live by learning the proper respect." Jaken tapped his staff angrily on the stone floor as he struggled to hold his temper. A squawked reached Kagome's ears as she began to ignore the little imp. Bu Jaken's voice seemed to gain in volume, causing her head to pound and her body to grow cold.

The world around her seemed to merge between the realm of light and darkness as pain shot behind her eyes like tiny needles. Shippo's shimmering form appeared next to her. The green good dripped from his chin as he grinned up at her, "The white doggy tried to get rid of me. But he can't. He can never separate us. You won't let me go…" Her gaze shifted to glare at the imp who had take a few steps back during her furry as her pupils were swallowed up by the green of her irises. Kagome dropped to her knees clutching her head as the pain rose with the force of will, her power trying to desperately fight against the affects of the collar.

"Shut up… Shut up!!" Kagome clutched at her head screaming.

"You are mine… I won't ever let you go." Kagome curled into a tight ball as she tried to block out the howling wind of voices that screamed within her mind. "I won't let him take you. It took too long for me to find you!"

Behind the throbbing pain, Kagome looked at Shippo with confusion. "Shippo..?" Kagome flinched away from Shippo's shimmering form as his childlike laugh gained a deep echo. Her confusion evaporated into anger as guards rushed into the room. With dry, itchy eyes, Kagome struggled from within their grasp.

Small arms brought forth the silence in their gentle embrace. A sigh rushed through her lungs that relaxed her body and eased the pain. Kagome's eyes shifted to the small child that clung to her in a tight hug. "Shippo… I missed you." Screaming, Kagome tightened her arms around the tiny body as the guards tried to pull the child from her grasp. "No, he's mine! You can't take Shippo from me."

"Rin get away from her, it's dangerous. If anything happens to you… Oh Sesshoumaru-sama is going to kill me. Guards get Rin away from that psychotic woman!"

* * *

Death. He had found himself surrounded by it far more than usual. Sesshoumaru couldn't help but feel that it was all entirely that woman's fault. He paused as a strange feeling swelled painfully in his chest. His eyes narrowed at the foreign ache, wondering what that woman had done to him. Forcing his attention on the current problem, the demon lord looked up to the castle that he had allowed the human girl to stay at for the last three years he kept her alive.

As he swiftly came through the broken gate, he could neither sense nor smell any sign of life. Just by looking around he knew that there would be no other survivors then the three. A sense of a warning threat pulsed through him as he gazed upon the fallen. If he hadn't been with that crazed woman all this time, he would have mistaken this as her doing. For the dead lay in different mutilated fashions, just like many of her past victims. His pulse began to rise with the ever growing sense of an unknown threat.

Inhaling the air deeply through his sensitive nose, Sesshoumaru found traces of an unusual scent lingering in the air. But even as he traveled throughout the castle, the scent was far too old and weak to follow. It only seemed to hang about the castle and then would fade instantly should he try to follow it out.

Furious with failing to find any trace of the creature who had threatened what was his, Sesshoumaru began to head back. All that he could think was that it in some way was that woman's fault. And it was time to bring it to an end. He could no longer afford to keep her around. He would have to get what answers he could from Rin. And the answers to finding his father's sword would have to come from a different source. It was time that he killed the unstable woman. Then things could finally get back to the way they once were. With that thought in mind, Sesshoumaru raced to return home.

* * *

"I have finally found them old man. The fools led me right to her. Now the final battle will begin, and the jewel and its container will be mine." The dark figure swayed slightly. "There were minor setbacks. That I will admit. I was a bit worried your so called chosen one would cause a bit more problems when he started getting in the way. But not now. I have no reason to fear." The dark figure spread their arms out wide, but froze as the empty gaze of the old man bellowed his warning.

"Soon the prophecy of old will be fulfilled in half a moons time. And the souls of many will be freed in the land of the dead."

The dark figure made a tsking sound as they wagged a finger at the ghostly figure. "As much as I would love to continue this discussion, I must go collect what is mind." With clear intentions, the dark figure left to begin their assault.

* * *

Sesshoumaru sighed in annoyance; the sounds of the crazed woman's screams assaulted his ears. The sound of guards yelling in return caused him to move a little faster. His only thought was to kill her now and get it over with; it might as well be now. The strange ache filled his chest as these thoughts swam through his head, sending confusion to mix in with the rest of his inner emotions. As he drew closer to her room the scent of Rin made his eyes bleed red in rage. The fools had not kept her out as he had wanted, and now that crazed woman had her. Guards dove out of his way as he entered the room; Kagome had her arms wrapped gently around a calm Rin. Rin sat in Kagome's lap looking quite content. The sight made him hesitate, it was the first time he had seen the girl with such a content happy look on her face.

The guards rushed out of the room by his signal, wanting to avoid the wrath of their lord. Jaken stayed trembling at his side. "I'm sorry Sesshoumaru-sama. The woman was freaking out, then the next thing I know, Rin comes charging in. No one can get her to let go." Jaken's eyes fell to the floor in shame as he cowered beneath Sesshoumaru's gaze.

"Jaken… We will speak about this later. Now leave."

Before Kagome could even relax, Sesshoumaru came forward and pride her unnaturally strong arms open. Looking at Rin sternly he spoke with a calm voice, "Rin go. I do not want to see you in here again."

Rin slowly stepped away from Kagome and bowed to him. "Yes Sesshoumaru-sama." Rin hesitated, her eyes gazing sadly at the young woman reaching for her desperately. Rin remember her from many times before. She had always liked the young woman that always seemed so kind and gentle. Rin knew she wasn't such a bad person; she was just in a lot of pain was all. Rin quickly left the room without looking back again, howls of misery followed her every step of the way.

"Give him back! Give Shippo back!"

Releasing her, Sesshoumaru forgot the strange warmth he had felt at the sight of them together. "Woman, are you daft your fox cub has been long dead, it is high time that you get over it." Sesshoumaru stared down at her wondering why the collar hadn't kept her strength from rising when she had gotten a hold of Rin.

Kagome's face turned a deep red, her eyes narrowing. "Get over it… Get over it? Shippo is not dead. And this coming from the one who is obsessed with his long dead father's sword!" A sense of cockiness rushed through her system, and she straightened up and looked into his angry red eyes. "Daft! If I am so daft… Then why is it I was able to kill Inuyasha in one go, when you who has been trying to kill him for years failed countless times? You even lost your arm to him." Kagome grinned up at him, feeling triumphant with the rage that wafted off of him."

A low threatening growl rumbled from Sesshoumaru's chest as he took a few steps towards her. His hand flexed as he drew closer to her, "You insufferable woman! I have grown tired of your antics. It is time that I end this, I will merely use another means of finding Tetsusaiga."

The confidence faltered only a little from Kagome, her feet inching her back. "Kill me fool and the sword will forever be out of your reach. My hands alone can grasp it from where I have hidden it." Her confidence grew once again as she spotted his hesitation. He had sought the sword for so long, giving it up after gaining his new sword. His hope obviously being renewed with the death of his brother. But Kagome knew he would not want to destroy his only chance of getting it, even if he couldn't use it. "You're so pathetic that you can't even gain control over one daft woman. You haven't really been in control, not even from the start. Your world has become centered around me without you even knowing it!"

Kagome lost her breath as she was harshly slammed against a wall. Before she could even catch her breath, Sesshoumaru captured her lips with his own in a way that demanded obedience. His hand pressed against the wall beside her head as his knee blocked her path of escape from the other side. Jerking back with a frustrated growl, Sesshoumaru punched the wall in disgust. Sliding to the floor, Kagome could only stare in shock as he stormed from the room.

* * *

Hours had passed before guards had entered her room. No words were spoken as they brought the silent woman from the room. They looked at her curiously, wondering why both the woman and the lord had fallen so unnaturally silent. But wanting to keep the silence for reasons of their own, they brought her to a new room without a word. It was in a corridor a bit farther from the lord, an area that was no longer used. Even the men could no longer remember why it was constructed.

The silent click of a lock drew Kagome out of her confused thoughts. A cold chill ran down her spine as a familiar voice spoke from behind her. "I have finally found you." Kagome spun around almost tripping over the chains. Her eyes widened with surprise, "You? But how?"

* * *

Sesshoumaru paced about his study hall, disgust written all over his face. How could he have allowed the same weakness to fall upon him as it had his father? And of all the humans it could have been, it just had to be that crazed woman. Pausing, he began to wonder why his guards had not brought the woman into the room closer to his study like he had instructed. She had to have done something to him, so he wanted to keep a closer eye on her. This was why he had brought her to the room near his study. It also insured that Rin would not try and venture into the woman's room again since she was well aware of the punishment should she enter this area of the castle. His eyes narrowed dangerously as the unnatural scent he had smelled at his other castle drifted through the air.

Screams soon filled the air with the stench of death close behind. Sesshoumaru's eyes began to bleed red with the thought of someone who dared to attack what was his. Leaving his study, he noticed that the demon was slowly making its way towards him. A sneer spread across his face at the thought that this impudent fool thought he stood a chance and was challenging him in his own lands. Sesshoumaru did not know how it had suddenly appeared, but whatever questions he may have would be easily beaten from the creature.

The creature that Sesshoumaru confronted could not truly be considered a demon. It stood slightly shorter then himself, its flesh seeming to be rotting off of it. A dog like head sat upon its misshapen shoulders. Lean but well muscled legs helped to keep its body straight, and most likely giving it speed. Drawing Toukijin, Sesshoumaru prepared to fight the creature. Its well muscled body tensed in preparation as well. "You will tell me what you know and die."

Shockwaves split through the air as claw met sword, Sesshoumaru ignored the fact that Toukijin didn't slice right through it. He stared into its black eyes, looking with interest at the lack of white. Green goo shot out of the creature's mouth, barely missing Sesshoumaru's leg. It made a hissing sound as the stones melted. A tremor of unease made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end at the sight of the goo. Its arm jerked at an odd angle causing it to sway sand miss. Toukijin scraped along the claws causing sparks, the creature leaping back before both charged again.

Sesshoumaru watched with disgust as the creature howled in pain. Its left leg seizure while green good flowed from its parted lips. "This is the creature that destroyed my castle?' Sesshoumaru brought Toukijin down between the miserable creatures ribcage. A green cloud erupted from the pierced ribcage, billowing past Sesshoumaru and through the castle hall, swallowing everything in sight.

* * *

**Sorry for the long awaited chapter. Things have been really hectic here and will probably continue to be for a while. I have been moving a lot and am about to move again. But I am happy because this story is finally starting to get to where I want it. And I think it won't be long before it comes to the final end.**

**Special thanks to yaoilover6969 for reviewing. I hope you and your friend enjoy this chapter just as much as the last.**

**And thanks to Niham for all of your advice and the inspiration. **

**If anyone has any questions feel free to ask and I will answer them if it does not ruin the story in anyway.**

**Not to mention I am also working on my own novels so yeah things will continue to go slow.**

**Thanks for continuing to read my stories. I look forward to all your thoughts XD**

**MikosWish**


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